Tsunami

This whole thing blows my mind. If you go to Amazon.com, you can donate money to the Red Cross that will contribute to relief for the victims. I know the Red Cross has acted shadily in the past (using supposed 9-11 relief for other projects), but they still have a good track record dispursing money where it is needed.

When I first heard about the disaster, I admit I had a completely inappropriate pang of fear that one of the great minds of the 20th and, now, 21st century, may have been hurt. With the death toll standing at upwards of 60,000 people, isn’t it selfish to worry about one person? Still, Arthur C. Clarke is fine. He has lived in Sri Lanka, on the coast no less, for the better part of two decades.

UPDATE: As of 6:39:08 EST, the Amazon.com Red Cross charitable donations has broken the $1,000,000 mark. It stands at $1,000,086.12 with 19,855 contributors, meaning folks gave about $50.37 apiece.

~ by kinshay on 2004-12-29.

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  1. I amuses me how more than one person I know mentioned ACC while talking about this whole thing.

    My buddy “Little Gay” Joe and I were talking about the amateur footage that’s out there and it just popped out of his mouth: “I wonder if Arthur C. Clarke is alright.”

    Of course, I’d already read his note and was able to say “Don’t worry he’s fine.”

    Then we made jokes about how he probably has various escape submersibles and rockets and whatnot…

    But yeah… Lots of ungoodness ovah theyah.

    Jake said this on 2004-12-29 at 05:23

  2. Although ACC doesn’t crack my top 5 fave SF authors (Heinlein, Bester, Philip K., Neal Stephenson, Asimov), I have to opine that he’s had the most direct impact on hard science of any SF author. I saw a BBC documentary about him that showed him at his home in Sri Lanka, and when I saw the video of the tsunami, I had to think of the beachscape in the background.

    Also, if you go to the Amazon donation page and keep hitting ‘refresh’ you will be astounded. The flow of money is constant and astounding. Fuck that borborocrat (a neologism of my own devising) who said we Americans are stingy. Just because we prefer not to filter our charity through corrupt bureaucracies does not make us heartless.

    da kine said this on 2004-12-29 at 05:40

  3. There’s also a difference between US gubment sponsored aid and millions of Joe/Jane Sixpacks popping $10 in the jar.

    Unfortunate (IMO) that the article you linked featured a McDonalds ad when I went there.

    Jake said this on 2004-12-29 at 13:50

  4. Also interesting that the name calling worked. Call us stingy and we more than double our contribution?
    Hmmm…

    Jake said this on 2004-12-29 at 17:30

  5. You might also want to check out Oxfam America’s website (www.oxfamamerica.org), they have a link there to donate directly to their Asian Earthquake & Tsunami Fund. Apparently they already had operations set up in Sri Lanka so have been able to respond quickly.

    Their site is a sad reminder that there are multiple crises going on in the world right now where people could use a helping hand.

    Jenn said this on 2004-12-29 at 22:17

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